It is known to provide a fuel tank such as a metal or plastic fuel tank in a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. In some vehicles, the fuel tanks have a shell made from a first half shell and a second half shell that are joined together. Currently, fuel tanks utilize baffles inside the tank to stiffen the tank shell for controlling the amount of shell movement (volume change in tank), and/or as an obstruction to minimize sloshing of the fuel, during operation of the vehicle. Baffles may be used in either metal or plastic fuel tanks. A baffle is usually a sheet of the same material as the tank that, most often, is mounted inside the tank at or near ninety (90) degrees to the tank wall. The baffle may be attached to the shell along edges, at strategic points within the tank or fit in grooves.
During manufacture of the fuel tank, the baffle may be attached to the tank shell when the relative temperatures between the tank shell and baffle are significantly different, causing, after cooling to a common temperature, stress due to different amounts of shrinkage. Additionally, when a fuel tank containing a baffle is subjected to a force significant enough to cause the tank shell to deflect inward at or near a baffle edge, the baffle may penetrate the shell, resulting in failure of the tank. Such failures result from the baffle behaving as a rigid structure that does not stretch, buckle, or deflect in a fashion similar to the tank shell.
Although the fuel tank has worked, it is desirable to provide a fuel tank assembly for a vehicle that incorporates a baffle that is different from existing baffles and offers compliance to shrinking of the tank shell during manufacture. It is also desirable to provide a fuel tank assembly for a vehicle that incorporates a baffle that can offer directional properties (e.g., stiffness) to suit the function of each tank configuration. It is further desirable to provide a fuel tank assembly for a vehicle that incorporates a baffle that offers compliance to excessive forces that may be applied to the tank during operation.